Hot Laps (14 page)

Stepping inside, he smiled and closed the door behind him.

“Sorry it took so long, I got lost.”

“I thought you drove me home last night?” I gave him this perplexed look

“Uh, well, I did but then I think I might have passed out or something because I woke
up in the parking lot of Safeway and I don’t know how I got there, or home.”

“But you drove me,” I repeated.

“I know. Someone had to drink and drive and you should thank me for risking my life
for you, so you were safe.” Casten smiled, stepping inside my room a little further.
If that was possible. I think my room was an 8x8 space that couldn’t even hold a queen
size bed.

“What’s his deal?” Casten gestured over his shoulder when he heard a thump on the
other side of the door.

“He’s a fucking asshole is what his deal is.” I looked over his appearance. He was
still just as pretty as he was last night. Maybe a little worn out but still pretty
in his blue zip up hoodie that I wouldn’t mind being zipped inside him with.

“Nice shirt,” he said, pulling at the hem of the shirt I was wearing. Apparently I’d
stolen a JAR Racing shirt from his room last night. With notable amusement, he handed
me my bra. “I think this is yours.”

I tried with every muscle in my face not to smile at him but failed. I should also
point out, besides having my underwear mailed back to me, I’ve had my bra returned
the next day as well, so really, this wasn’t anything new to me. And the fact that
this engine builder was returning my bra made me laugh.

“How’d you get it?” I had no aversion to getting naked in front of anyone and stripped
his shirt over my head, gave Casten a good look at my boobs and put my bra back on.

When the shirt was off, I looked to him for his answer as to why he had it in the
first place.

His lips curved into a smile. “You were showing me how fast you could take your bra
off. I have no idea why or what provoked it. I just ended up with it at some point.”
He spoke quietly and surprisingly stayed calm while eyeing my chest, briefly, but
did he give them a good gaze. “You have probably the nicest tits I’ve ever seen.”
When his wandering eyes met mine, he winked.

“Thanks, I’ve been growing them for the last nineteen years. I put a lot of hard work
into that,
by the way
.”

A loud thump came from the other side of my door causing me to jump.

I rolled my eyes at my mentally challenged roommate. I swear a four-year-old with
an extreme Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder was less annoying than him. I’m
not saying a four-year-old with ADHD was annoying, but they could be a little much
to handle at times. I should know. I had it. But for Adam’s sake, multiply that by
size, age, and decrease the stupidity, lack of maturity and common sense and you’ve
got Adam.

“Have you … and him?” his eyes gestured toward the door with a slight apprehensive
nod.

“Adam?”

His answer was flat and immediate. “Yeah,” he looked at me with a strange expression.

I gagged, such an awful thought to imagine. “God no, I’m certain he has chlamydia
or herpes.”

“Oh well, that’s good. You don’t want the clap. I heard it’s hard to get rid of.”

“I wouldn’t know,” I laughed. “Would you?”

“Nope, I’m clean.”

“I just gotta say,” Casten looked at me as I spoke, and then took a seat on the end
of my bed. It was all I could do not to push him back and climb on top of him. “That
party was some next level shit as far as parties go. I’ve never been to something
like that.” I bowed to him. “Nicely done.”

He shifted on the bed leaning back on his elbows. “Thanks, but I got a lot of explaining
and cleaning to do.”

Blinking, I had this flash of me in a maid uniform helping him clean.

“I’ll help you if you want.”

“Okay, but food first. I’m starving.”

With that cleared up, we went to breakfast at the local diner down the street from
my apartment. I hadn’t been there sober in at least a month and I hoped like hell
no one pointed this out while I was there.

Here’s the thing. I have no direction in life, never really have, I drink so much
I’m sure I have failed my liver, and I’ve probably slept with most of the guys in
my graduating class (not real proud of that last one). My uncle Tate once told me
I was like a kid making hot laps. Never really doing anything, just out there breaking
the track in. I don’t have a clue what that meant, but everyone seemed to agree with
him.

Casten, well, he was throwing me off a little and made me nervous. Mostly because
we were, in a weird way, developing a friendship. I’d never had that aside from Charlie.

And I was never into him.

But now, here was this insanely attractive guy who can roll with my punches and hasn’t
tried to get between my legs the first night we met. That’s a good deal right there,
right?

Surely by the end of the week I’d fuck it up so I really didn’t want someone at this
diner, or anywhere else, assisting me. I could fuck my own life up.

As you could imagine, I was a little nervous about what to expect this morning and
also, I had never actually had a meal with another guy that didn’t involve the Burger
King drive-thru at three AM.

Casten led the way, pulling his hood off his head and greeted Leslie, the waitress
I told to fuck off last Thursday for trying to tell me I couldn’t have chocolate syrup
on my pancakes.

Leslie glared my direction but I gave her that look that screamed, “I know you hate
me, but please, for the love of holy peacocks, don’t lead on I’m a horrible person
in front of this male god. Deal?”

Leslie kept our silent deal and left us alone as we sat in the back corner away from
everyone else.

“I’d like to finish my question. How about a game of five?” Reaching for my steamy
creamy mocha, I looked up at him. Right about then when my eye lashes stuck together,
I realized I hadn’t showered and more than likely had mascara smeared all over.

“Why five?” Casten looked over at me taking a drink of his hot chocolate.

“I’m distracted easily, remember?”

Our food arrived just then, and we both started eating immediately.

“Ah, yes, I do.” he tipped his head my direction taking a bite of his French toast
and chewing slowly. “You go first.”

“Alright then. When did you lose your virginity?”

“Fourteen.” He didn’t seem at all phased by answering such a personal question.

“Where?”

“The backseat of the girl’s car in the pits of Knoxville.”

“Was she your girlfriend?”

“No, she was a friend.”

“How did you become an engine builder and not race like your dad and brother?”

“I used to race but I kind of lost the drive. But I’ve always wanted to be a part
of racing so I graduated at sixteen and traveled for a little while with the guys.
When the off-season came that winter I got really into the engine work and it sorta
became my thing.”

“Do you enjoy it?” I asked taking a bite of my pancakes.

“I do,” he nodded. “Very much so. I still love traveling with the boys but I love
building engines, too.”

“One more. Is Axel your only brother? Any other smirking hotties I should know about?”

“Just me and Axel, but I have a sister too, Arie,” he laughed setting his hot chocolate
down. “My turn. When did you lose your virginity?”

“I think I was like fifteen, yeah,” I nodded with my statement, “fifteen.”

“Where at?”

“My bedroom. My older sister threw a party. I got drunk and dragged one of her friends
upstairs with me.”

“Did you know him?” his face was relaxed enough that I felt comfortable telling him
my slutty ways.

“No and I never saw him again. I think his name was Grady.”

Casten’s face went pale and then he blinked in disbelief. “Grady Andrews?”

“Hell if I know. He was a lot older than me, I know that much.” Then I remembered.
“Actually, no, his name was Grady Gustafson. I remember thinking to myself how dumb
that name sounded.”

Casten sighed, letting out a breath he’d been holding. I thought the reaction was
a little strange but then he seemed fine, so I didn’t ask.

“Is it just you and your sister then?” his hands wrapped around his cup, leaning forward
to lean against the table.

“Yeah. Hailey doesn’t live with us anymore though. She lives in New York and we don’t
hear from her very often. My dad is a cop and then my mom, uh, she’s a stay-at-home-pain-in-the-ass.”

He kind of chuckled before asking. “So you and your friend who kidnapped my cousin,
how long have you two been friends?”

“Our entire lives. We grew up right next door to each other. She’s my wingman.”

“Sounds like it,” he laughed. “Cole’s pretty taken by her. Never seen him so interested
in a girl before,”

“Really?”

“He gets girls, I’m sure,” he nodded taking another drink of his hot chocolate, “but
he’s kind of a pussy. Can’t keep ‘em around long.”

“Well, I’ll let Anna know not to expect much.”

Just as I was thinking the morning was going well. My first social gathering where
I didn’t get shit faced and go dick diving, a boy I dick dived with in the past showed
up. I wouldn’t exactly say I was proud of this particular springboard pike either.

I froze when the jerk decided to come over to our table. All my movements and thinking
halted half-way through and Casten noticed. Drool even came out because I forgot to
close my mouth. I think my heart even stopped from the awkwardness alone.

“Hey, Hayden,” Zack said with a lewd edge. It was a “Hey, Hayden, I know what you
vagina looks like” type of hey.

Those are the worst.

Casten looked up from his hot chocolate at Zack, his brow furrowed for the slightest
moment before he smoothed out his expression, appearing calm. He didn’t exactly seem
like a jealous type of guy.

“Hey … Zack,” I replied when my heart started again.

By the grace of Tinkerbell and her fairy dust, Zack’s date, I assumed, called out
to him. “Hey, Zack, we’re ready.” I noticed a group of people he had come in with
were waiting by the door.

“Well, nice seeing again,” he said walking away without another word.

Casten quirked his mouth and smiled. “He was …
attractive
,” he said, sarcastically.

“Mmm … yes, GQ cover model I’m sure.”

Zack was hardly attractive. He looked like a five-foot-three male version of Pollyanna.
He was, to date, the only guy I’ve ever slept with who was shorter than me. And me,
being five-foot-seven, that’s not saying too much.

I tried at that point to stop myself and not say something entirely stupid but ninety
percent of everything I said fell into that category. So I replied with. “I was drunk?”
In the form of a question.

As most knew, I was always drunk. That wasn’t really an excuse.

Just when I was sure I could hear my own breath, Casten smirked.

“It’s okay …” he shifted forward to rest against the table.
I could tell he was trying to make me feel better after seeing what this Zack guy
resembled. “My buddy, Tommy, once fucked this girl who was a female body builder.
He used to tell us that fucking her was like fucking Vin Diesel with a twat.”

I had no choice at this point but to laugh until I nearly pissed myself, but he continued
between his own laughs. “He said he was so disgusted because he only lasted like fifteen
seconds and then she proceeded to bench press him. Talk about emasculating a man.”

At that point, what with my insane giggling, I actually peed myself.

I’m not kidding. I peed myself right there in the restaurant.

“I think we should probably get going.” I said, crossing my legs.

I think he knew but the ass was going to make me say it. “Why’s that, pretty girl?”

“I’m tired.” I lied.

He squinted. “You don’t look tired.”

“I am.” I yawned for effect.